The "Middle East and Terrorism" Blog was created in order to supply information about the implication of Arab countries and Iran in terrorism all over the world. Most of the articles in the blog are the result of objective scientific research or articles written by senior journalists.

From the Ethics of the Fathers: "He [Rabbi Tarfon] used to say, it is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but you are not exempt from undertaking it."

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Sunday, January 13, 2019

Now that the campaign has failed to prevent the opening of the
mall, Fatah and its followers have turned to outright threats and
violence. The threats are being directed toward Palestinian shoppers and
Palestinian merchants who rented space in the new mall.

"Rami Levy does not
discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, gender, or religion when hiring
and promoting employees. All employees, Palestinians and Israelis, are
treated equally and receive equal benefits. Salaries are based solely on
one's position and performance. My goal for all Rami Levy employees is
to have the same opportunity to succeed." — Rami Levy, owner of Israel's
third-largest supermarket chain, half of whose 4,000 workers, he says,
are Palestinians and Israeli Arabs.

Palestinian investors, according to Fatah official Hatem Abdel
Qader Eid, could have prevented Rami Levy from building his new mall had
they invested in the construction of a Palestinian shopping center.
"It's true that there are wealthy Palestinian businessmen..."

Now that the campaign has failed to prevent the opening of the
mall, Fatah and its followers have turned to outright threats and
violence. The threats are being directed toward Palestinian shoppers and
Palestinian merchants who rented space in the new mall.

If a Palestinian who buys Israeli milk is a traitor in the eyes
of Fatah, it is not difficult to imagine the fate of any Palestinian who
would dare to discuss compromise with Israel. If he is lucky, he will
have a close encounter with a firebomb. If he is not lucky, he will be
hanged in a public square.

Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's ruling Fatah faction has responded
to a new shopping mall in east Jerusalem, which has Arabs as most of its
workers and customers, in a manner that showcases how Palestinian
leaders continue to torpedo benefits to their people. Pictured: A Rami
Levy supermarket branch in western Jerusalem. (Image source:
Yoninah/Wikimedia Commons)

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's ruling Fatah faction is angry.
It seems a Jewish Israeli businessman has just built a shopping mall in
east Jerusalem and most of its workers and customers are Arabs.

Fatah, which is often described in the Western media as a moderate
faction, has responded to the mall enterprise in a manner that showcases
how Palestinian leaders continue to torpedo benefits to their people.

Where in the world would any leader condemn a project that provides
jobs to hundreds of his or her people? Where in the world would any
leader call on his or her people to boycott a shopping mall or a
supermarket that offers competitive prices for clothes and food? Where
in the world would a leader describe the opening of a commercial project
that benefits his or her people as a catastrophe ("nakba")?

Rami Levy, a businessman and owner of the third-largest Israeli
supermarket chain, invested more than $50 million in the construction of
a mall in the Atarot Industrial Park northeast of Jerusalem. Despite
the boycott calls, some Palestinians have rented stores in the mall,
which is being described
as a model for coexistence between Arabs and Jews. The new mall also
has a large supermarket belonging to Levy's supermarket chain.

Levy's supermarkets in Jerusalem and the West Bank are popular among
Palestinian shoppers. They say the prices there are lower than those in
Arab-owned businesses. That is most likely why hundreds of Palestinians
converged on the newly opened supermarket in the mall when it officially
opened on January 8. Israeli supermarkets hire hundreds of Palestinians
from the West Bank, as well as Arab residents of Jerusalem, who work
together with Jewish colleagues.

According to Levy, half of his 4,000 employees are Palestinians and
Israeli Arabs. "I began employing Palestinian and Israeli Arab workers
at the first Rami Levy location, a stall in Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda
market that opened in 1976. Arabs were among my first employees," he said.

"Those employees continue to work for Rami Levy Hashikma
-- our supermarket outlets -- and many have seen their careers flourish
with the company. The first employee I hired 35 years ago was a man
named Ibrahim, an Arab from east Jerusalem who has remained at Rami Levy
and currently works as our director of logistics. Other Arab Israeli
and Palestinian employees who have since joined the Rami Levy team have
also been promoted to upper management positions. Rami Levy does not
discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, gender, or religion when hiring
and promoting employees. All employees, Palestinians and Israelis, are
treated equally and receive equal benefits. Salaries are based solely on
one's position and performance. My goal for all Rami Levy employees is
to have the same opportunity to succeed. This goal that can only be
realized if the principle of equality is implemented in all aspects of
the company."

For Abbas's Fatah officials, however, the image of Palestinians and
Jews working in harmony is loathsome. They do not like the idea that
Palestinian workers are being paid good salaries and are being treated
by their employer with respect. They also do not like seeing Palestinian
shoppers queuing to buy food and goods that are being offered to them
in better quality and cheaper prices. The Fatah officials would rather
see their people unemployed or pay higher prices in the Palestinian
market than give their business to a Jewish-owned shopping center.

Instead of welcoming the inauguration of the shopping mall for
providing job opportunities to dozens of Palestinians and lower prices,
the Fatah officials are taking about an Israeli plan to "undermine" the
Palestinian economy. "This was a sad day for Jerusalem," said
veteran Fatah official Hatem Abdel Qader Eid in reference to the
opening of the new mall. "This project aims at undermining the Arab
commerce in Jerusalem and making it subordinate to the Israeli economy."

The hundreds of Palestinians who flooded the new mall on its first
day, however, seem to disagree with the grim picture painted by Abdel
Qader Eid. The large turnout is, of course, good news: it shows that
Palestinians are like any customers around the world who prefer better
products at lower cost. For them, this was not a "sad day," as the Fatah
official said, but an exciting one. Finally, a mall has come near their
home, offering them a wide range of products at economical rates.

Nonetheless, Abdel Qader Eid got one thing right: his lament
concerning the absence of Palestinian investors and capital.
"Palestinian capitalists are cowards," he said.
Palestinian investors, Eid added, could have prevented Rami Levy from
building his new mall had they invested in the construction of a
Palestinian shopping mall. "It's true that there are wealthy Palestinian
businessmen. But while they are rich with money, they are poor in their
will and education."

Sadly, the Fatah official is saying that Palestinian businessmen have
no faith in their people and would rather invest their money elsewhere.

Another senior Fatah official, Osama Qawassmeh, took the incitement a step further. He warned
that any Palestinian who shops at the new mall or rents space there
will be accused of "betraying the homeland." He went on to peddle the
old Palestinian lie that purchasing Israeli products is an act of "supports for settlements and the Israeli army."

Fatah's incitement against the new mall did not fall on deaf ears. On the day the mall was inaugurated, Palestinians threw
a number of firebombs at the compound, forcing (Palestinian) shoppers
to flee for their lives. Fortunately, no one was hurt and there was no
damage to the stores or vehicles in the parking lot.

The campaign of incitement against Levy's shopping mall began several
months ago, as it was being built, and has continued until today. Now
that the campaign has failed to prevent the opening of the mall, Fatah
and its followers have turned to outright threats and violence. The
threats are being directed toward Palestinian shoppers and Palestinian
merchants who rented space in the new mall. The thugs who attacked the
mall with firebombs could have injured or killed Palestinians. The
thugs, who are believed to be affiliated with Fatah, would rather see
their people dead than having fun or buying attractively-priced products
at an Israeli mall.

By spearheading this campaign of incitement and intimidation, Abbas's
Fatah is again showing its true colors. How is it possible to imagine
that Abbas or any of his Fatah lieutenants would ever make peace with
Israel when they cannot even tolerate the idea of Palestinians and Jews
working together for a simple common good?

If a Palestinian who buys Israeli milk is a traitor in the eyes of
Fatah, it is not difficult to imagine the fate of any Palestinian who
would dare to discuss compromise with Israel. If he is lucky, he will
have a close encounter with a firebomb. If he is not lucky, he will be
hanged in a public square. How is that for Palestinian readiness to
engage in a peace process with Israel?

Bassam Tawil, a Muslim Arab, is based in the Middle East.Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13531/palestinians-shopping-mall Follow Middle East and Terrorism on Twitter